Taking a Liking
by x-Potterhead-x
Summary: Kelsi had liked Ryan for a long time, but was too scared to do anything. What will she do? And will the Wildcats have to give a helping hand? I DON'T OWN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (yadda yadda yadda).
1. The Truth

**I DON'T OWN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL OR ANYTHING RELATED.**

It was the end of school at East High and Kelsi Nielson had placed her music at the piano and started to play.

_"So lonely before..._

_I've finally found..._

_What I've been looking for..._

_Ooh, oooh, oooh oooh…_

"Ow!" she heard a voice shout. Kelsi looked up to find Ryan Evans tangled in a music stand.

"Goodness, Ryan! I didn't see you - you were so quiet!" said Kelsi. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he said, getting up again.

Kelsi made herself comfortable again.

"So," he said. "Is that the infamous duet that was written before Sharpay rearranged it?"

"Yeah," said Kelsi, nodding. "Except you joined in with organising the rearrangement as well, didn't you?"

"In my defence," Ryan said. "Sharpay actually contacted our rehearsal pianist before consulting me first. In all honesty, that was why I did those jazz squares during the performance. I said that it was a crowd favourite, but actually, it was because I wanted to annoy Sharpay!"

Kelsi smiled as she straightened her music.

"Can I hear it all?" he asked. Kelsi's eyes widened and slowly, she nodded.


	2. What I've Been Looking For

As the first verse began, Ryan took a quick breath.

_"It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see, that you were always right beside me," _he began.

_"Thought I was alone, with no one to hold," _Kelsi continued, _"but you were always right beside me."_

They turned to face each other.

_"This feeling's like no other, I want you to know..." _they sang together.

_"That I've never had someone, that knows me like you do," _they both sang. _"The way you do..."_

_"I've never had someone, as good for me as you... someone like you..." _they sang.

_"So lonely before, I've finally found... what I've been looking for..." _they finished.

_"Ooohhh, ooohhh, ooh ooh..." _Kelsi ended. They looked into each other's eyes, smiling.

"Wow," said Ryan breathlessly. "That's... really nice."

However, unbeknownst to them, they already had an audience looking through the window. Taylor was there, eyebrows raised.


	3. Dreamer

It was the day of the callbacks, and somehow, Troy and Gabriella had managed to get there on time. Ryan and Sharpay stood at the side of the stage, wondering what was about to come. After watching Gabriella and Troy singing for a little while, Ryan's eyes left the pair and fell on Kelsi, sat at the piano. As Troy and Gabriella ran towards the piano, Ryan's mouth dropped as Kelsi stood up, smiling and singing along.

_"More than hope, more than faith," _Troy sang.

_"This is truth, this is fate, and together,"_ Gabriella continued.

_"We see it coming," _they both sang.

_"More than you, more than me," _Troy belted out.

_"Not a want, or a need," _Gabriella sang.

_"Both of us breaking free..."_ they sang together.

As they reached the end of the song, Ryan continued gazing at Kelsi, smiling. Sharpay put her head next to his, following his gaze all the way to the piano. Frowning, she clicked her fingers in front of Ryan's eyes.

"Hey!" Sharpay snapped.

"Yes, what?" Ryan asked, coming back to earth.

"Wake up, dreamer!" Sharpay said sharply.

"Um, right, I'm back," he said quickly, dragging his eyes away from the piano.

Sharpay frowned at him. He did confuse her sometimes. It was like he was in a totally other world watching that performance. That is, if he was even watching that performance. His eyes seemed to have been on Kelsi during most of that. Unless...

Had she worked out who her brother was interested in...?


	4. Truth or Truth?

It was a couple of weeks after the winter musicale, and Sharpay had invited the Wildcats round to the Evans' house for a Christmas party. To Kelsi's disappointment, Ryan was out doing Christmas shopping and couldn't make the party so they were minus Ryan for the night.

"Shall we put on some music? Maybe some Christmas stuff?" Martha suggested.

"I have a better idea! Let's do Truth or Truth!" Sharpay said.

"Is this basically Truth or Dare but without the dares?" asked Jason. Sharpay nodded.

"I think I'll sit out of this one," Kelsi said. "I hate the sound of this!"

"My house my rules, Kelsi!" Sharpay stated.

Groaning, Kelsi joined in the circle, dreading what was to come.

"Okay then… Gabriella, your most embarrassing moment," said Zeke.

"Well, I think slipping on milk and throwing my lunch all over Sharpay a while back is a major competitor," said Gabriella. Everyone laughed.

"Martha, your most embarrassing moment," said Troy.

"I think trying to do a backwards flip, failing and spraining my hand in front of the entire school has to win there," laughed Martha.

"Kelsi… oohh! I know! In all honesty, are you crushing on Ryan?" said Taylor.

"Say what?" Kelsi asked, mouth falling open in shock.

Sharpay laughed at Kelsi's reaction.

"Now that's a good one!" Sharpay said. "C'mon Kelsi, don't act like that!"

"I'll happily do an embarrassing moment question, Taylor!" Kelsi said quickly.

"No way," Taylor said. "You heard what I said, Kelsi!" Sharpay nodded in agreement and Kelsi put her head in her hands.

"Can we take that as a yes, Kelsi?" Gabriella asked, smiling. Kelsi curled up in a ball.

"Now that's sweet!" Martha laughed.

Without warning, Sharpay got out her phone.

"What are you doing, Sharpay?" asked Kelsi, sounding worried.

"I'm texting my brother, of course!" Sharpay laughed. "That's the advantage of being the oldest twin! I can get him to do anything!"

"No!" shouted Kelsi, trying to grab Sharpay's phone.

"Come on, Kelsi! Live a little!" said Sharpay. "Don't you want to be happy?"

"Yes, but I know all you're going to do is laugh and embarrass me!" Kelsi said.

"Actually, I'm not," replied Sharpay.

"Why?" Kelsi asked.

"You should've seen his face when those two were singing at the call backs," Sharpay said. "All he was doing was watching you. I could barely get a word out of him! Whenever I tried to say anything to him, he either ignored me or gave me two word answers!"

"Maybe he was just daydreaming!" Kelsi tried to suggest.

"No way!" Sharpay stated. "I know my brother, and he wasn't daydreaming!"

"Please don't, Sharpay!" Kelsi pleaded. "He doesn't feel the same, I know it! He will laugh and I'll be a laughing stock at school on Monday!"

"Yes he does feel the same!" Sharpay said. "Again, I know my brother, and that is why he won't laugh at you!"

"STOP IT!" Kelsi shouted. All of a sudden, she ran into the ensuite bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her.

The Wildcats stared at each other in shock at what had just happened.

"Well," said Jason. "That's an issue."

Sharpay unlocked her phone again.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do," she said quietly.

"Are you gonna text him?" asked Troy.

"Of course I am!" Sharpay muttered. "And I know exactly what his reaction is going to be."


	5. Texting

Meanwhile, at the shopping centre, Ryan stood looking at the pink shirt that Sharpay had showed to Ryan weeks ago when they were out shopping. All of a sudden, his phone beeped with a message from Sharpay.

_"__To my baby brother,"_ he read. _"You'd better come home RIGHT NOW xx"_

_"__Why?" _he typed back. _"Are you ok?"_

_"__Oh yes, I'm fine," _he read. _"I think it's a certain other person that you should be concerned about xx"_

_"__What do you mean?" _he replied.

_"__Well, now that you finally ask," _Sharpay's text continued. _"We were playing Truth or Truth and we were finding out quite a few things about each other xx"_

_"__Just get to the point, Sharpay," _he typed.

_"__We found out something very interesting, actually. About you xx" _

_"__Sharpay, I said GET TO THE POINT!" _Ryan replied_. "What on earth are you on about?"_

_"__Our lovely Kelsi was asked if she has a crush on you xx," _Ryan read. His heart started pounding at what had happened.

_"__What? What did you do that for?" _he replied.

_"__Don't blame me! It was Taylor who asked it! xx" _Ryan read. Suddenly, he was interrupted by a voice near him.

"Are you alright there, sir?" asked a person wearing a badge which showed that he worked at the shop. "You look a bit worried."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," he said quickly, forcing a smile. "Nothing to worry about!" At that moment, another text came through.

_"__Basically, she totally freaked out and locked herself in the toilet! xx"_

_"__Is she ok?" _he typed, eyes widening.

_"__What do YOU think?" _he read. _"I think we all know what this means! Come back now, baby brother! Run if possible! Xx"_

Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped the shirts he was holding straight on the floor and sprinted through the store.

"Oi! Hat-boy!" he heard a voice yell. "Don't you dare leave those on the floor!"

"You work here!" he replied, quickly turning round to face the man who worked in the shop. "It's your job! Sorry, but I'm in a rush here!"

He smiled and continued to run. This was what he hoped. Not Kelsi getting locked in the toilet, no way would he hope that, but the thought that Kelsi liked him was exactly what he hoped for.


	6. Butterflies

Out of breath, Ryan finally opened the door to Sharpay's room.

"Well you took your time!" Sharpay hissed, pushing him.

"If you must know, Your Royal Brattiness, I've sprinted for an hour straight!" Ryan glared at Sharpay, pushing her back.

"You two, stop bickering!" Gabriella said. "This is the last thing we need!"

Ryan nodded and walked over to the bathroom door. Hand shaking slightly, he knocked a few times on the door.

"Kelsi?" Ryan asked. Suddenly, he heard a gasp coming from the bathroom.

"R… Ryan?" he heard a voice say quietly. "What are you doing here?"

"Can… can I come in?" he asked.

"No," Kelsi replied.

"I just want to talk to you," he sighed.

"Why isn't talking like this good enough?" Kelsi asked.

"Because I don't think speaking through a locked door is a good way to talk when I say what I want to say to you," Ryan said.

Sharpay smiled, knowing exactly what Ryan meant. Gabriella's mouth dropped open and she began to fidget excitedly.

"What, that you can't wait to laugh at me?" Kelsi asked.

"Kelsi, in all honesty, I will find a way to force this door down if you don't open it now," smiled Ryan.

"Now that'd be romantic!" Martha whispered to Taylor, who nodded in agreement.

"I can't," Kelsi sighed, tears running down her face.

Ryan's eyes narrowed as a lightbulb came on in his mind. All of a sudden, he stepped back and the Wildcats looked puzzled.

_"__It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see," _Ryan began to sing. _"That you were always right beside me…"_

Kelsi stiffened behind the door as she listened to what Ryan was doing.

_"__Thought I was alone, with no one to hold… but you were always right beside me…" _Ryan continued to sing. Gabriella smiled.

_"__This feeling's like no other… I want you to know…"_

Sharpay grinned broadly at Ryan. She knew that Ryan loved this kind of thing. It was his favourite thing in movies.

_"__That I've never had someone that knows me like you do… the way you do…" _Ryan sang.

Kelsi's eyes widened and her stomach churned.

_"__And I've never had someone, as good for me as you, someone like you…"_

Ryan crossed his fingers as he heard movement behind the door.

_"__So lonely before, I've finally found… what I've been looking for…" _Ryan finished singing.

"Ever the romantic," Sharpay smiled fondly.

Slowly, the door unlocked and Kelsi opened the door.

"I'm sorry," Kelsi sighed.

"Why?" asked Ryan, walking into the bathroom.

"I'm sure the last thing you wanted was getting that text from Sharpay," she said as Ryan closed the door behind him.

"Why would it be the last thing I wanted?" Ryan asked.

"Look Ryan, I know that you're just saying all this stuff to be nice, but you can stop now," Kelsi said.

"Okay," said Ryan, shrugging his shoulders and taking a couple of steps forward. "I'll stop."

All of a sudden, he took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Butterflies began to form in Kelsi's stomach as she placed her hands on Ryan's chest, feeling his heart race at what felt like 100 miles per hour.

As Ryan pulled away slowly, Kelsi smiled at him.

"I'd sing to you all night if you wanted, Kelsi," Ryan grinned.

"Funnily enough, I'm tempted to take you up on that off–"

Without warning, Ryan pulled Kelsi close, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again.

"Honestly, you two are taking you're time," said a familiar voice, opening the bathroom door.

Sharpay stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised as she watched them pull away.

"Oh, for God's sake," she sighed, trying to hide a small smile. "Maybe I shouldn't have texted you, Ryan."

She closed the door behind her and settled with the Wildcats.

"Are they finally together?" asked Taylor hopefully.

"Yeah," said Sharpay, nodding. "You can say that again!"


End file.
